Restoration Project

6023 King Edward II Project

Restoration Project

New part of website showing project by themes:

6023 was left in the open to rot at Barry for nearly 20 years. The marine air slowly ate through the boiler cladding and much of the steel plating. During this time, the locomotive was raided for parts and many of these were taken for use on other locomotives.

It was finally bought by the Barry Steam Locomotive Action Group (BSLAG) for £15,000 in 1982. Before 6023 left for the intended restoration site in Brighton, it was sold on to Harvey's of Bristol (of Sherry fame) for 21,000 and moved to a bay platform at Bristol Temple Meads Station called the Fish Dock, for restoration by the Brunel Engineering Centre Trust. Here restoration began under a Manpower Services Scheme. 6023 was dismantled, much preservation work was done, parts were sent away for contract work or as patterns for new parts.

Restoration continued until the autumn of 1988 when work ceased when the MS scheme funding was withdrawn. By this time 6023 had been stripped to a kit of parts ready for restoration. Some parts that were away for contract work were scrapped when funds for the work were not forthcoming (notably the cab sides and tender tank).

In 1989 the Great Western Society (GWS) learned that 6023 was available and bought all the available components for around £16,000, including movement costs. The entire locomotive, stripped down to boiler, frames, wheels and tender, was moved from Bristol to Didcot, by train, in March of 1990.

The first big test of the project was casting new rear driving wheels, and a magnificent wooden pattern was made up for the castings. The loco was re-wheeled on 1st July 1995, exactly 65 years after being put into service.

Work then progressed gradually on the manufacture of new motion gear; 4 connecting rods, 3 coupling rods, 2 eccentric rods, 4 crossheads, 4 piston rods and 10 suspension springs. Surviving rods were refurbished.

6023 was received in double blastpipe and chimney form, but one of the aims of the project is to produce a 'single chimney King' as it was in its original guise. In 1997 a single chimney and blastpipe arrangement was reinstated.

The most time consuming aspect of the project has been the manufacture or refurbishment of hundreds of items such as steel cladding for the boiler, handles, levers, a huge amount of piping of various bores, hangers, steel flooring, buffers, nuts, bolts and various steam and vacuum valves, injectors and ejectors. The tender has been restored as a separate project at Severn Valley Railway

Boiler life is time restricted from the date of the successful boiler test, so throughout the project we have worked to have King Edward II as complete as possible before turning to the restoration of the boiler. Once the boiler is tested, the clock will be ticking on the boiler life, so we need to be in a position to reassemble the locomotive without major hitches.

With the manufacture and fitting of the valve gear completed, work progressed through 2005-6 on the complex job of setting the valves, which required the engine motion to be turned. The rear wheels were disconnected from the rest of the motion by removing the rear connecting rods, and small sets of rollers set up under the front and middle sets of wheels. Using an air-driven pump and a person turning each roller with a 6' long ratchet, the wheels were rotated slowly so that measurements and adjustments to the valve timing could be made. This took months of work, feeding the data back each week to our expert - in New Zealand.

6023 was built to the GWR's 13'5" loading gauge, and will be restored to this height for use on preserved lines. If we are to consider main line use on Network Rail, then it must be shorn of 4" to meet the 13'1" loading gauge now in force. A shortened chimney, bonnet and cab are under consideration, as are moves to reduce the height of some of the mechanisms and pipes in the cab.

The reverser, most of the pipes, levers, instruments and valves in the cab have been completed to a very high standard, but are currently removed while the boiler is off for re-tubing and re-staying.

Inside the rectangular rear part of the boiler, is a smaller inner rectangular space called the firebox. The only thing that prevents the boiler pressure of 250lb/psi collapsing this huge structure onto the fire within is a regular array of 1261 metal stays that go through the wall of the firebox to its the outer wrapper. These stays account for the huge number of bolts visible around the rear of the boiler when the cladding is off. The space between the firebox and wrapper is normally filled by water, which over the life of the boiler has a corrosive effect on each stay. Each and every stay must therefore be replaced, and removal is progressing.

The next major job will be the replacement of the stays and retubing of the boiler, which is being done with the boiler stripped and removed from the engine. At this time the new ash pan will be fabricated, mechanical lubrication system pipes installed, TPWS installed, cladding painted and myriad smaller jobs completed. On completion and testing of the boiler, the clock will be ticking to get King Edward II back in steam.

Interested in helping out on the project? We meet on alternate Saturdays at Didcot Railway Centre, with some midweek working. Contact 6023@blueyonder.co.uk

The restoration is dependent on donations. If you wish to support this project with a donation, use the following link: Donations!

Further links to the Great Western Society and other sites of interest are on the links page.